25. Ven. Dabba
Aspiration in the Past
The future Dabba was born as a worthy man in the city of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. On coming of age, he visited the Buddha’s monastery and while listening to a discourse by the Buddha, he witnessed a monastic being declared by him as the foremost among those monastics who prepared living places for the Saṅgha. He admired that monastic and after making great offerings to the Buddha, he expressed his aspiration for a similar distinguished recognition during the time of some
Meditating on Top of a Mountain
The future Ven. Dabba, having received the prediction from the Buddha, lived a full life filled with good deeds. On his death, he was reborn in the Deva realm and subsequently either in the Deva realm or the human realm. During the waning years of the teaching of Buddha Kassapa, he was reborn as a worthy man and took up the monastic life. He found six other monastics who shared the view that living amongst people was not the correct way for gaining Awakening and that a real monastic must live in seclusion, and so they went up a high steep mountain by means of a ladder. Once at the top, they discussed among themselves: “He who has self-confidence, let him push away the ladder. He who clings to his life, let him go down by the ladder before it has been pushed away.” All seven monastics chose to remain on the mountain top until they attained Awakening and so they pushed away the ladder. “Now, friends, be diligent in your monastic practice,” they exhorted one another before choosing a place of their own on the mountain to strive for path-knowledge, ignoring the danger of death.
Of these seven monastics, the eldest became an Arahat on the fifth day. He knew he had finished what was required of the noble practice and went to Uttarakuru, the northern island continent, by means of his powers, to collect alms food. Having collected the alms food, he came back and offered it to his six monastic companions with these encouraging words: “Friends, have this meal. Let me be responsible for alms food collection. You devote yourselves to your meditation.” Then the remaining six replied: “Friend, have we made an agreement among us that he who first realises the supermundane Dhamma would be responsible to feed those who still have to reach that same goal?” The Arahat said: “No, friends, there was no such agreement.” Then the six monastics said: “Venerable sir, you have become an Arahat according to your past merit. We too would make an end of the suffering round of Saṁsāra if we could. May the venerable go wherever he pleases.”
The eldest monastic, being unable to persuade the six monastics into accepting the alms food, took the meal at a suitable distance and left them. On the seventh day, the second eldest monastic attained the state of Non-returner (Anāgāmi-phala). He too went to the northern island-continent by means of his powers and offered the alms food to the remaining colleagues. Being refused by his friends, he ate his meal at some suitable place and left. After the death and dissolution of his body, he was reborn in the Pure Abodes of the Non-returning (Anāgāmī) Brahmas.
Ascetic Life in His Final Existence
The remaining five monastics did not achieve path-knowledge during that existence. After passing away from that existence, they were reborn in the Deva realm and the human realm throughout the long aeons in the interval period between Buddha Kassapa and Buddha Gotama. During the time of Buddha Gotama, they were reborn in various countries:
1. One was born in Gandhāra, in the city of Takkasilā, as a member of the royal family, and later became King Pukkusāti.
[His story in the time of Buddha Gotama has been told above, in chapter 36.]
2. Another in Pabbateyya, also called the Majjhantika region, as the son of a female wandering ascetic, later he became Sabhiya, the wandering ascetic.
[His story is not told in these Chronicles, but see the Verses of the Elder Monks (Thera-gāthā, Thag 188), and its commentary.]
3. The third one, in a household in Bāhiya country, later became Ven. Bāhiya.
4. The fourth one, in a Rājagaha household was later known as Kumāra Kassapa.
5. The last in the Malla Country, in the city of Anupiya, in the royal family of a Malla Prince, later became Ven. Dabba.
The mother of the future great elder Dabba died when she was about to deliver the child. When her dead body was being cremated on a pyre, the womb burst open due to heat but, thanks to his past merit, he was shot up into the air and fell safely on a heap of dabba grass, and was thus named by his grandmother Dabba.
The term dabba has two meanings: “A kind of grass” and “a pile of faggots.” In the Traditions (Apādāna) in verse 143, it is said: Patito dabba-puñjamhi taro Dabbo ti vissuto, “I fell on a pile of grass, therefore I became well-known as Dabba.” In the commentary on the Collection of the Numerical Discourses (Aṅguttara-nikāya), in the Light on the Essence of Meaning (Sārattha-dīpanī), and the commentary on the Verses of the Elder Monks (Thera-gāthā), he is
When the young Dabba was seven years of age, the Buddha, in the company of many monastics, arrived in Anupiya during a tour of the Malla Country where he took up a temporary abode in the Anupiya Mango Grove. Young Dabba was enthralled at seeing the Buddha and asked his grandmother for permission to enter the Saṅgha. The grandmother consented and she took the boy to the Buddha and asked for the boy’s admission into the Saṅgha.
The Buddha gave a monastic near him the task of admitting the boy into the Saṅgha, saying: “See to this boy’s admission as a novice.” The elder then taught him how to reflect on the loathsomeness of the body, which was represented by its five parts: hair, body hair, nails, teeth and skin.
As shaving the head in a first step in ordaining a boy into a novice, this reflection is a most appropriate thing, which the preceptor invariably enjoins on the potential novice, asking him to say the five words out loud and reflect on their meaning.
Young Dabba reflected on them while his head was being shaved. Young Dabba had sufficing conditions for Awakening; moreover, he had aspired to a distinguished monastic life 100,000 aeons ago during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. Hence, as soon as the first circle of hair on his head was shaved, he attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala); by the time the second circle of hair was shaved, he attained Once-returning (Sakadāgāmī-phala); by the time the third circle of hair was shaved, he attained Non-returning (Anāgāmi-phala); and when the head was clean-shaven, he became an Arahat. In short, the completion of the shaving of his head and the attainment of his becoming an Arahat took place simultaneously.
After spending such time as was needed for bringing Awakening to those deserving release from Saṁsāra, the Buddha returned to Rājagaha to dwell at the Veḷuvana monastery. Novice Dabba, now an Arahat, also accompanied the Buddha there.
Once settled in Rājagaha, Ven. Dabba, going into seclusion, thought to himself: “I have nothing more to do to become an Arahat. It would be well if I served the Saṅgha by arranging for their living places and directing them to their respective supporters of alms food.” He disclosed his idea to the Buddha. The Buddha lauded him for it and assigned him the double task: the preparation of living places for the members of the Saṅgha, for which the Saṅgha was to recognize him as such (senāsana-paññāpaka) and directing members of the Saṅgha to their respective supporters of alms food, for which the Saṅgha was to recognize him as such (bhattuddesaka).
The Buddha was pleased to see the seven-year-old Dabba having attained such eminence in his teaching as being endowed with the four analytical knowledges, the six supernormal powers and the three knowledges. Therefore, although very young, the Buddha raised the novice, Arahat Dabba, to the monastic life.
Incidentally, there were also other novice Arahats, such as novice Paṇḍita, novice Saṅkicca, novice Sopāka, novice Revata, the youngest brother of Ven. Sāriputta, who were raised to full monastic life although under 20 because they had become Arahats. Although young in age, these monastics had attained the acme of the monastic life, and hence deserved to be called elders (thera).
From the time of becoming a full monastic, Ven. Dabba arranged living places and allocated alms food among the various supporters to the Saṅgha for all the monastics residing at Rājagaha. This, he did with competence, not allowing a slip in the alms distribution which had to be done by seniority.
The good name of the young Arahat monk, who came of the Malla royal family, who was very caring to monastics, who was very considerate in finding places where like-minded monastics could stay together, who was able to get living places at far-off locations for visiting monastics according to their instructions, helping disabled or sick monastics by his own supernormal power, spread to all directions.
Many visiting monastics would ask for normally impossible living places at odd hours, at far-off locations, such as the Mango Grove monastery of Jīvaka, the sanctuary at
This is a brief description. For details see the section giving the Training Rule about Anger (Duṭṭha-dosa-sikkhāpada, Vin Pār, PTS 3.158).
Foremost Title Achieved
In consideration of Ven. Dabba’s noble services to the Saṅgha with experience and competence, the Buddha, on one occasion, declared to the congregation of monastics:
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
senāsana-paññāpakānaṁ yad-idaṁ Dabbo Mallaputto.
Monastics, among my monastic disciples who make arrangements for living places for the Saṅgha, Dabba of the Malla royal family is the foremost (etad-agga).
Since the Buddha assigned Ven. Dabba the duties of seeing to the accommodation of monastics, Ven. Dabba kept all the eighteen big monastic compounds around Rājagaha clean, both inside the dwelling places and around them. He never missed cleaning a sitting place or a sleeping place or placing water for drinking and washing for the monastics.
Dabba as a Victim of Slander
Even though Ven. Dabba was a truly virtuous monastic, he was a victim of slander perpetrated by a group of evil monastics led by Ven. Mettiya and Ven. Bhummajaka who accused him of complicity with a nun named Ven. Mettiyā.
For details refer to the Vinaya (Vin Pār, PTS 3.158); and the Chapter on Settlements (Samathakkhandhaka, Vin Cv 4, PTS 2.74). This unhappy event was the consequence of his own past misdeed. Ninety-one aeons previously, during the time of Buddha Vipassī, he had slandered an Arahat, although knowing him to be pure.
Ven. Dabba’s Parinibbāna
[Based on the Udāna and its commentary (Udāna, Ud 8.9-10).]
On the day Ven. Dabba was to pass away, he returned to the Veḷuvana monastery from his alms round, having taken his meal, and after paying respects to the Buddha, washed his feet to cool them; then he sat on the small mat at a secluded spot, and entered into the attainment of cessation for a specified period.
After rising from the absorption (jhāna) at the pre-determined time, he reviewed his life-faculty and knew that he was going to live just for only a few moments (muhutta) more. He thought it improper for him to pass away in seclusion without saying farewell to the Buddha and his co-residents. He felt obliged to say farewell to the Buddha and to display miracles before he died, in the future interest of those who had wrong opinions of him due to the slanderous attack of the monastics Mettiya and Bhummajaka, who would thereby be enabled to see his true worth. So he went before the Buddha, made obeisance, and sitting in a suitable place, said: “Fortunate One, my time to pass away has arrived.”
The Buddha reviewed the life-faculty of Ven. Dabba, knew that he was just about to pass, and said: “Dabba, you know the time for your passing.” Ven. Dabba then made obeisance to the Buddha, walked around him thrice, with him on his right, and then he stood at a suitable distance and said: “Venerable sir, we had fared in the world together in various existences for a period of 100,000 aeons. My performance of good deeds had been aimed at becoming an Arahat. The goal is already achieved. This is the last time I am seeing the Fortunate One.” It was a touching moment. From among the monastics, those who were worldlings, Stream-enterers (Sotāpanna), or Once-returners (Sakadāgāmī), felt very miserable, while some others wept.
The Buddha knew what was in the mind of Ven. Dabba and said: “Dabba, that
Then Ven. Dabba rose in the air and created mind-made earth in mid-air, on which he sat cross-legged and meditated on the heat device (tejo-kasiṇa) as the preliminary step. After emerging from the absorption (jhāna), concentrating on the element of heat, he made his solemn wish that his body rise up in flames. Then he entered into the absorption of the element of heat (tejo-dhātu) which is the basis of attaining supernormal powers. On emerging from that absorption, the thought-process pertaining to supernormal power arose in him. At the first impulse thought-moment of that thought process, his body became ablaze and consumed his entire corporeality, comparable in power to the world-destroying fires, so that not a trace of the body, the conditioned physical phenomenon, remained. No ash whatsoever was to be seen. Then the blaze was completely extinguished as desired by Ven. Dabba. At the end of the supernormal thought-process, the mind reverted to life-continuum, which, in this moment, was identifiable with death. Thus ended the life of Ven. Dabba, who passed away and realized Nibbāna, making an end of suffering (dukkha).